A strange thing happened during the war. The mouths of America's favorite Black Conservative race talkers grew conspicuously silent. We heard nothing or very little from Ward Connerly, John McWhorters, Stanley Crouch, Shelby Steele, etc. They are the usual set of suspects called upon for public opinion when there are issues of race.

The Iraqi War seems to have silenced their voices. But in silencing their voices, it showed that they are only hired help for specific areas and not serious commentators on national and international matters.

If, however, their insight, such as it is, is not worth mentioning on such matters as war, in which a large segment of our military is Black, their insight is not worth hearing on matters such as ethnic affirmative action and other race matters.

It is known by Blacks that these race talkers are only white neo-con voices in black faces to make their harsh words less harsh when coming from a black mouths. During this war time, their services are not needed and not desired. But let there be a matter that entails race, and they will be summoned to play their part.

Like politicians, the race talker--Shelby Steele, John McWhorters, Stanley crouch, Ward Connerly, et al.--have no shame; they will allow themselves to be used to pronounce harsh notions against African Americans and all things that would advance African Americans as long as they are paid for their pronouncements.

So the next time we hear them, let's see if they blush or blink when they are called upon to do another's bidding and pronounce, again, the decline and fall of all Black people, excluding them, of course. []

Frank A. Jones